Splendid scenery, vibrant communities, and a thriving running scene make the Evergreen State a great place to get your jog on. Best of all, it’s also home to some of the country’s oldest, largest, and most distinctive running events.
Tiptoe through the tulips in Burlington’s Tulip Run (Apr 5). March across Victorian Port Townsend’s Fort Worden, savoring the sweet scents of rhododendron blossoms in the Rhody Run 12k (May 18), or ven-ture to Spokane to run alongside 50,000 others in the Bloomsday 12k (May 4), the third-largest timed run-ning race in North America.
Run within the shadows of the Olympic Mountains and along the Strait of Juan de Fuca (p. 78) in the North Olympic Discovery Marathon and Half Marathon (June 1), join military battalions running through Tacoma’s Point Defiance Park in the Sound to Narrows 5 and 12k (June 14), or roll along the Columbia River—and back in time at historic Fort Vancouver—in the Vancouver USA Marathon and Half Marathon (June 15).
Sprint spectator-lined downtown streets and dart along the Alaskan Way Viaduct in Seattle’s Seafair Torchlight 8k Run (July 26). Trace por-tions of Captain Clark’s historic coastal walk at Long Beach’s Discovery Trail Half Marathon (Sept 13), or race along the Salish Sea under majestic Mount Baker’s snowy eye in the Bell-ingham Bay Marathon (Sept 28).
Feast on energy bars and gels on Thanksgiving Day weekend with more than 15,000 runners and walkers dur-ing the Seattle Marathon and Half Marathon (Nov 30), a holiday tradition for more than 40 years.
—CRAIG ROMANO
